1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile and its electric power system controller, and, more particularly, to an automobile provided with a driving control unit which drives and controls an internal engine or an electric motor as a power source and an electric power system controller which controls an electric power system of an automobile on which a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery is mounted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Up to now, an automobile electric power system controller of this type that converts an electric power from a secondary battery which exchanges the power with a generator motor for driving mounted on a hybrid car to the 100 V AC power and supplies it to a plug receptacle (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-56007) has been proposed. This automobile electric power system controller convert a DC power from the secondary battery to the 100 V AC power by an inverter and supply it to the plug receptacle, and can charge the secondary battery by converting the 100 V AC power from a commercial power supply to the DC power when the plug receptacle is connected to the commercial power supply.
However, in such an automobile electric power system controller, a state of a secondary battery or a state of a vehicle is not considered with regard of the control of an inverter which converts a DC power from the secondary battery to the 100 V AC power, the secondary battery may be over discharged and the driving control of the vehicle may not be performed satisfactorily.
An object of an automobile electric power system controller of the present invention is to more appropriately limit the conversion of an electric power from a secondary battery to predetermined alternating current power in accordance with a state of the secondary battery. A further object of the electric power system controller of the present invention is to more appropriately restrict the conversion of the electric power from the secondary battery to the predetermined AC power in accordance with a usage state of the predetermined AC power. An object of an automobile of the present invention is to secure satisfactory driving control of a vehicle and then to convert the power from the secondary battery to the predetermined AC power.
A first automobile electric power system controller of the present invention is an electric power system controller which controls an electric power system of an automobile on which a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery is mounted, and is provided with an electric power converter which converts an electric power from the secondary battery to predetermined AC power, a state detector that detects the state of the secondary battery, and an electric power conversion limiting unit which limits the electric power conversion by the electric power converter according to the detected state of the secondary battery.
In this first automobile power system controller of the present invention, because there is conversion of electric power from the secondary battery to the predetermined AC power by the electric power converter according to the state of the secondary battery, the secondary battery can be kept in a satisfactory state. As a result, the drive of on-board electric equipment that receives the supply of electric power from the secondary battery, and control of this equipment, can be secured.
In this type of first automobile electric power system controller of the present invention, the state detector can also detect at least one of the remaining capacity, temperature, inter-terminal voltage, charging discharge current, and charge discharge integration amount of the secondary battery as the state of the secondary battery.
Further, in the first automobile electric power system controller of the present invention, the electric power conversion limiting unit can also place a limitation on at least one of the power, maximum current, and overheating protection setting temperature for the electric power conversion by the electric power converter.
A second automobile electric power system controller of the present invention is an electric power system controller which controls an electric power system of an automobile on which a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery is mounted, and is provided with an electric power converter which converts the electric power from the secondary battery to predetermined AC power, a state detector which detects the state of the electric power system from the secondary battery to an AC output end, and an electric power conversion limiting unit which limits the electric power conversion by the electric power converter according to the detected state of the electric power system.
In this second automobile electric power system controller of the present invention, because the conversion of the electric power from the secondary battery to the predetermined AC power by the electric power converter according to the state of the electric power system from the secondary battery to the AC output end, the secondary battery including the AC output end can be kept in a satisfactory state. As a result, the drive of on-board electric equipment that receives the supply of electric power from the secondary battery and its control can be secured.
With the second automobile power system controller of the present invention, the electric power conversion limiting unit can also place a limitation on at least one of the electric power, maximum current, and overheat protection setting temperature with respect to electric power conversion by the electric power converter.
Further, the second automobile electric power system controller of the present invention is provided with an output end error determination unit which determines an error of the AC output end, and the electric power conversion limiting unit can also stop the electric power conversion by the electric power converter when the error of the AC output end is determined by the output end error determination unit. In the second automobile electric power system controller of the present invention of this aspect, the output end error determination unit can also determine the error of the AC output end according to at least one of the inter-terminal voltage, current, phase difference between the inter-terminal voltage and current, and temperature of the AC output end. Further, in the second automobile electric power system controller of the present invention of an aspect in which the output end error decision unit is provided, the error of the AC output end is a short circuit of an output terminal at the AC output end.
Further, the first or second automobile electric power system controller of the present invention is provided with an error determination unit that determines an error of the electric power converter, and the electric power conversion limiting unit can also limit the electric power conversion by the power converter according to a determination result indicating an error in the electric power converter by the error determination unit. In the first or second automobile electric power system controller of the present invention of this aspect, the electric power conversion limiting unit can also stop the electric power conversion by the electric power converter when the error of the power converter is decided by the error decision unit.
Moreover, the first or second automobile electric power system controller of the present invention is provided with an electric power use state detector which detects the usage state of the predetermined AC power, and the electric power conversion limiting unit can also limit the electric power conversion by the electric power converter according to the usage state of the predetermined AC power detected by the electric power use state detector. This can suppress malfunction of electric equipment which uses the predetermined AC power due to the limitation of electric power conversion.
A third automobile electric power system controller of the present invention is an electric power system controller for an automobile on which a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery is mounted and which can be driven using the electric power from the secondary battery, and is provided with an electric power converter which converts the electric power from the secondary battery to predetermined AC power, a state detector that detects a driving state of the vehicle, and an electric power conversion limiting unit which limits electric power conversion by the electric power converter according to the detected driving state of the automobile.
In this third automobile electric power system controller of the present invention, because the conversion of the electric power converter to the predetermined AC power according to the driving state of an automobile, the driving state of the automobile which can be driven by receiving the supply of the power from a secondary battery can be maintained satisfactorily.
In this third automobile electric power system controller of the present invention, the state detector can also detect motion of the automobile. In the third automobile electric power system controller of the present invention of this aspect, the state detector can also detect a vehicle speed or an operating state of a parking brake.
Further, in the third automobile electric power system controller of the present invention, the electric power conversion limiting unit can also place a limitation on at least one of the electric power, maximum current, and overheating protection setting temperature for power conversion by the electric power converter.
In the first, second or third automobile electric power system controller of the present invention, the predetermined AC power is any power of 100 V AC, 115 V AC, 220 V AC, or 230 V AC.
Further, in the first, second or third automobile electric power system controller of the present invention, the secondary battery can also supply electric power of a higher voltage than an effective value of the predetermined AC power. In the first, second or third automobile electric power system controller of the present invention of this aspect, the automobile is provided with a driving electric motor and the secondary battery can also supply electric power to the electric motor.
An automobile of the present invention is an automobile which is provided with a driving control unit which drives and controls an internal engine and/or an electric motor as a power source, and is provided with the first, second or third automobile electric power system controller of the present invention of any of the aspects, wherein the driving control unit serves the electric power conversion limiting unit as well as controlling the electric power converter.
In this automobile of the present invention, because a driving control unit which drives and controls an internal engine or an electric motor as a power source serves an electric power conversion limiting unit of an electric power system controller as well, the conversion from the electric power from the secondary battery to the predetermined AC power can be controlled by the electric power converter in accordance with a state of the automobile. As a result, the drive of the onboard electric equipment, such as the electric motor, which receives the supply of electric power from the secondary battery, and its control, can be secured more appropriately.